Phuket Diving

Introduction

Thailand’s largest island, Phuket, is the second most developed (after Pattaya) of the country’s tourist destinations. The island is separated from the mainland by a narrow bridged strait. The island’s west and south coastlines are liberally sprinkled with beaches, many of them long, curving arcs of golden sand with mounds of boulders separating them from the neighbouring beaches.

With an international airport and good transport links to the rest of the country, Phuket makes a good base for exploring further afield or as the jumping-off point for other popular destinations such as Khao Lak, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta.

Phuket Dive Sites

Diving around Phuket

Phuket is the largest dive centre in Thailand and the main base for liveaboards heading for destinations in the Andaman Sea. For those not having the free time to join a dive boat to the sites further afield, all is not lost as there are a few reasonable dive sites off the shores of Phuket Island itself. These local sites also open up opportunities for night diving and polishing up those diving skills.

Conditions improve considerably around the outcrops, islets and islands off the south of Phuket; the currents here carry away algae and silt and the corals have more chance of flourishing. The reefs are generally in a healthy condition with good hard, as well as colourful soft, corals. Marine life is plentiful, with visits from large pelagics adding spice to the diving. Some sites are quite deep with ripping currents often present, but there are plenty of other locations suitable for all levels of both recreational and technical divers.